Oman

Muscat: The first Omani Products Exhibition will open on Monday at the Conference and Exhibition Centre in Riyadh.

The exhibition will be organised by Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI), the Public Authority for Investment Promotion and Export Development (PAIPED), the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (PEIE).

The opening ceremony will be held under the patronage of Dr Tawfiq Al Rabia, Saudi Minister of Commerce and Industry, in the presence of Dr. Salim bin Nasser Al Isma'eeli, PAIPED Chairman, Ahmed bin Hassan Al Theeb, undersecretary of the Commerce and Industry Ministry for Commerce and Industry, Hilal bin Hamad Al Hasani, CEO of PEIE, a number of public and a group of Omani businessmen.

Ayman bin Abdullah Al Hasani, OCCI Deputy Chairman and Head of the Organising Committee of the exhibition, said that the first exhibition of Omani products at the GCC level comes as part of the national campaign for the promotion and marketing of the Omani products. It would help in find ing new markets for their products, which are characterised by their quality and high specification, to familiarise with the Saudi market and the most important areas of cooperation with that market.

He added that 56 companies will participate in the exhibition, organised by Riyadh exhibitions Company. These companies represent various industrial sectors, such as food, construction, electricity, furniture, pharmaceuticals, marble and tile, explaining that there would be bilateral meetings between businessmen and representatives of the Omani companies participating in the exhibition with their Saudi counterparts in order to strengthen trade relations and to have outlets for the distribution of their products in the Saudi market.

Ayman bin Abdullah Al Hasani said that the Sultanate has historical, economic and strategic relations with Saudi Arabia, as with other GCC countries, as the total trade volume between Oman and GCC states by the end of the year 2011 reached RO3.4 billion, where the UAE ranked first in trade with Oman with RO2.6 billion, followed by Saudi Arabia RO522 million, Kuwait RO147 million, Qatar RO99.6 million and Bahrain RO92.5 million.

He added that the most important Omani exports to Saudi Arabia during the same period are food, dairy products, electrical equipment and appliances, iron and steel, marble, plastic products, ceramics, furniture and pharmaceuticals.